In this episode, Markus Zirn and Arthur Hu discuss Lenovo’s transformation from a hardware giant to an IT services leader, driven by AI and hybrid cloud technologies. Arthur shares insights on managing global supply chains during COVID-19, balancing centralized and federated IT governance, and the crucial role of cultural integration. He also emphasizes the importance of a customer-first approach and adopting a process-driven mindset to foster innovation.
Embrace Customer-Centric IT: It’s crucial for IT organizations to operate with the same level of accountability and service quality as if they could lose their internal “customers”—the business units—to external competition. This mindset will sharpen focus on meeting SLAs and enhancing end-user satisfaction.
Leverage External Insights: Recognize that learning from external customers and other companies can provide invaluable insights. Embrace external benchmarks and customer feedback to continually improve and innovate within your IT operations.
Foster collaborative, cross-functional teams: Break down silos and encourage collaboration across roles. By focusing on the customer journey and integrating diverse expertise, you’ll drive better outcomes and a more cohesive team environment.
Cultivate and evolve your company culture: Invest regularly in nurturing your organizational culture. Establish clear norms and create opportunities for team bonding to enhance coordination and reduce friction, especially in diverse, global teams.
Arthur Hu is the Senior Vice President and CIO at Lenovo, where he also serves as the CTO of the Solutions & Services Group. He joined Lenovo in 2009 and has since held various executive roles, contributing significantly to the company's technology-driven transformation. As Global CIO, Hu leads Lenovo's enterprise-wide IT organization, focusing on innovation and enhancing customer experience. In 2022, he was appointed CTO for the Solutions & Services Group, where he oversees research and development initiatives aimed at delivering innovative solutions globally. Hu's leadership has been instrumental in merging global IT with business processes, thereby driving profitability and operational efficiency. Prior to Lenovo, he spent over eight years at McKinsey & Company as a consultant. He is also a member of Lenovo's Executive Committee, further solidifying his influence within the organization.
“The most powerful insight that we now apply, and I try to bring to my work and also with customers, is how do we take things that are automated perhaps very deeply, but not very broadly? And how do we use the process mindset to get out of those and actually think how do we have a better whole? An analogy that we use is everyone is trying to build some kind of a highway. But unless you have that integrative either journey or experience that you're targeting, then you end up with this mishmash, the off-ramps might not be connected, things don't actually work together very well. And so it's important to have an overall plan and as well as being able and willing to maintain that.”